How South Carolina regulates memory care, and what Columbia families should ask

Is memory care separately licensed in South Carolina?

No. A CRCF or nursing home that runs a secured dementia program is described in Regulation 60-84 as having an Alzheimer's Special Care Unit or Program, and DPH's license data marks it with a flag, but the building holds the same license as any other.

Section 101.F defines the unit as a facility, or part of one, that offers a secure, special program for residents with probable Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, limits residents' movement beyond the designated area, and promotes itself as giving specialized dementia care. Across the six Midlands counties, 19 of the 64 senior-serving CRCFs carry DPH's Alzheimer's special care unit flag and another 7 report Alzheimer's care without a secured unit; among nursing homes, 4 of 28 carry an Alzheimer's flag (DPH data as of November 6, 2026).

Because “memory care” on a website carries no legal weight, the DPH flag is the best quick test of whether a secured program really exists.

What written disclosure must a Columbia memory care unit give?

South Carolina's Alzheimer's Special Care Disclosure Act (S.C. Code 44-36-510 and following) requires any facility that offers or advertises special dementia care to explain in writing what makes it special, so families can compare one program with another.

Expect the document to cover the program's philosophy, how residents are admitted, moved and discharged, how care plans are written, the staffing pattern and dementia training, security features of the building, daily activities, and charges on top of basic assisted living. Regulation 60-84 also requires each CRCF's written policies to cover any specialized service it offers, including a dementia unit (Section 401). Ask for the disclosure by email before you visit, then compare it with what you see on the tour.

How many staff does South Carolina require on a dementia unit?

No separate number exists; the building-wide CRCF minimum applies: one staff member or direct-care volunteer per eight residents in peak hours, one per 30 at other times, and someone awake and dressed around the clock (Regulation 60-84, Section 503.B).

Those floors cover the whole building. A secured wing inside a larger community could technically be covered overnight by one awake employee who also answers call lights elsewhere. The question that matters is how many people are physically behind the locked doors at night, whether they are regular staff or agency fill-ins, and who steps in while one of them helps a resident to the bathroom. Multi-floor buildings of more than 10 beds must also have someone available on every occupied floor (Section 503.B.3).

What dementia training must Midlands CRCF staff complete?

Before working with residents and at least yearly after, CRCF staff must be trained on the conditions the facility serves, including dementia, cognitive disability and aggressive or inappropriate behavior, with techniques such as cueing and mirroring, behavior management, safety and activities (Regulation 60-84, Section 504.A.5).

The regulation names topics, not hours. Ask how many hours of dementia-specific training a new aide gets before the first shift, who teaches it, and whether night and weekend staff attend the same sessions. Then ask how the unit handles exit-seeking, falls and late-afternoon agitation, because those behaviors, more than the diagnosis, decide whether a resident can stay or must move to nursing care.